Norway supports new initiative in Central Africa

In September 2015, the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) was launched in New York City, in the margins of the UN General Assembly. Representatives of African nations, the Federal Republic of Brazil and four European countries, the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and specialized UN agencies, announced an unprecedented initiative to halt deforestation and forest degradation. For more information, read the UNDP press release.

Facts about the Congo Basin:

• The Congo basin is the world's second largest rainforests. It stretches over six central African countries, covering about 2 million square kilometres. This area is more than five times the size of Germany.
• The Congo Basin is hugely important to mitigate climate change because it stores huge amounts of carbon. It is therefore important to all of humanity.
• The Congo Basin is also home to a stunning biodiversity. It is essential to the regional water balance and rainfall patterns. Not least, this forest plays a vital role in the livelihoods and economic well-being of millions of people who live in and around the forest.
• Deforestation in the Congo Basin is still relatively low, but new research indicates that this could change rapidly. That is why urgent action is needed to avoid high deforestation and the local and global consequences this would have.